Front spring



June 9, 1925'. A 1,541,439

C. SHORT ET AL Filed May 25, 1921 Patented june S3, 1925.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. SHORT' AND ROSCOE HART, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS'TO GEN- ERAL MOTORS RESEARCH CORPORATION, OFr DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FRONT SPRING.

vApplication led May 23, 1921. Serial No. 471,768.

To all 107mm t may concern: Be it known that we, CHARLES R. SHORT, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and Roscon N. HART, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, have invented cert/ain new and useful `Improvements in Front Springs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de'- scription.

The invention relates to vehicle springs, and especially to springs of the type suitable for use in supporting the front end of a motor vehicle. frame from the front axle, Aand has for its principal object the provision of improved spring supporting and attaching means adapted to connect a flat or quarter-elliptic spring to the vehicle 'frame and axle.v V y Further objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken with the laccompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of our invention, and in whichf Fig. 1 is a plan view of the forward end of a motor vehicle chassis;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the chassis on an enlarged scale; v 'n Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a spring bracket; and Fig. i is a vertical section through'a portion of the spring and vehicle axle.

Referring to the-drawings, the vehicle chassis Yshown includes longitudinal side frame members 5, 5', which are preferably bars of angle iron, theweb of the bar being positioned vertically and a flange being located at the top of the web and inwardly directed. VlVhile other commercial forms of prole iron or special designs may be used if desired, the form illustrated is preferred for light chassis .because of its cheapness and ease of fabrication and assembly.

Springbrackets 6, 6, are mounted upon the side members, preferably upon'the inner sides of the webs, whereby the bracket may serve as part of the front transverse frame member and also as a 'support for the engine 7. The engine is shown as of the aircooled internal combustion type, .having a fan 8, a flywheel and clutch 'casing' 9, and a transmission casing 10, but the specific character p or details of therengine are not essential to an understanding of the present invention and form no part thereof. As illustrated, the engine frame or casing constitutes a part ofthe front transverse vehicle frame, ythe flywheel casing being provided with flanges 11, 11.','which seat upon ledges, as shown at 12, and are rigidly bolted thereto. The construction whereby the engine frame. and spring brackets together constitute the front cross member of the chassis frame fis not claimed', however, yin thisA application, the same being included in the subject mat,- ter of an application of Charles F. Kettering, Serial No. 472,225, filed May 24, 1921.

The spring brackets 6, 6', are counterparts, being related to each other as rights and lefts The specic description will therefore be confined to one bracket, the one illustrated in detail being theV bracket adapted to be mounted upon the right-hand frame member 5. This bracket, which may be cast in one piece, comprises a vertically disposed plate or body portion 18 provided with apertures whereby it may be secured to the web of the member 5' as by rivets v14E. Additional means may be provided, if desired, 'to take the strain from the rivets,

which means may include lugs struck-in wardly from the frame member with which portions of the bracket engage, the bracket being .bored or otherwise shaped 'to fit against or aroundv such lugs. inwardly vfrom the plate portion v13 is the ledge l2 hereinbefore mentioned and below the ledge 12,011 the inner side of the bracket, is a spring seaty 15 adapted to receive the rear or fixed end of a substantially flat or quarter-elliptic laminated orleaf yspring 16. A fiange 15 extendsfrom the seat 15 to the ledge 12, serving to reinforce both the vseat and ledge and providing, with the vertically extending body portionf 13, a recess the walls of which act asabutments on the side and end of the spring. Near the forward end of the body or plate portion 13 is the abutment member 17 against .the lower. side of which the spring engages and to which it is secured in any suitable manner, as b a cross barV 18 and bolts 19 passing through aperturesin the bar and abutment member respectively. lThe rear end of the spring is -secured ixedly to the seat 15 Aas by bolt 2O Extending d passing through apertures in the spring leaves andapertui'e 2l in the seat member'.

The front axle 22 is formed with spring seats or pads 23, adapted to receive the lower leaf` 16` of the spring. A depression 9A Ais provided in the surfacefot the pad to receive the lug' or projee'tion'Q 'stamped or otherwise formed upon the lower side of the spring leatl 16', by which means relative lateral displacement of the spring and pad may be prevented. An arch or bridge membei" is seated upon .the spring leaf 16 and a U-bolt 27 lying in a 'curved groove 'the arch member and passing through holes Iiifi the axle 'serves t'o clamp the arch ineinber to the spring l'ea't and the latter t'o the pad: lA lrece'ssti on the lower side "oit Vthe bridge member Q6 provi-des a space intowhfch the second leal2 16" of the spring may slide when deflection takes place under loa-1d., the 'said leaf being narrowed vslightly Iat the Aend to correspond with the width ot the-recess.

It in'ay be considered advisable in some in* stances tobrace the spring brackets by 'connectiiig the lower portions of the two, as by the 'cross bar 30 which inlay be secured at its ends to the brackets by bolts 20. rThis brace 'will serve to relieve the brackets from some "ot the strain due to the bending Aaction 'olt the springs and to the twisting action under 'detlectioii referred to below.. Suitablesteer- Ving gear 3l will be provided, connected by 'diiag'links 32, 33, to steeringarms on the Wheel'spindles in 'the 'usual manner, the drag linl'; 32 being arranged as shown :in approximate parallelism with the 'adjacent spring inord'cr to obvfiiate oscillation oi the "di igible wheels by reason oi vertical move- `iiiei'it of the vehicle fl'rame and body.

It will 'be noted that the location ot' the Vspring brackets upon the ini-ier sides oit the `Iside trainemembers and providing the spring 'seat on t-fhe inner side 'o'lE the bracket increases the angle of ldivergence ot' the Lsprings toward 'their points et attachment 'to the `t'ron't axle, thus resulting in con- Isiile'iafble twisting'or torsional yfefliiect when the vfsprings are deflected. In Aaccordance v"with the well kno-wn principles ot Aoperation *of springs, this action ofliers an advantage in that it produces a Ciampino' effect due to the `rapidly increasing" rate oit resistance to torsional distortion. The slning bracket 'and associatedattaching ineans as described provides ia 'strong and rigid support for the tilted end-ot the spring, end thrust due to 'readfsh'ocks vzbeing taken by the abutment 15,

do'\'vnwai"d pressure by the seat 15 and upward pressure by the abutment 17. vThe means for :attachment to the `front axle is a'lso simple fand highly 'efficient in preventi1ig-.'rel1ative displacement (while permitting The spring has been 4referred to herein as ot the quarter-elliptic type, but it will be understood that, when under `normal load, the spring may become substantially lat. The particular curvature, however, is

not a feature ot the invention and may vary within reasonable limits. Various other changes in details 'of construction andproportions ot parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and therefore it is not desired that the invention l be limited to the specific structure described.

Ve claim: Y

l.. A spring bracket comprising a body porti-on adapted to be secured to .a vertical web oi a 'vehicle 'frame member, a pad or abutment lor the upper side ot a spring directly under said body portion, and a seat depending below said body portion and on the inner side thereof adapted to .receive an end of a quarter-elliptic sprine.

2; A spring bracket comprising a body .portion adapted to be secured to a vertical web eta vehicle frame member, a pad or abutment for the 'upper side o1 a spring directly under said body portion, a seat depending below said body port-ion and on the inne-rside -tliereoi,-and adapted to receive an end of 'a quarter-elliptic spring, and an abutment for taking end thrust on lsaid spring. y -Y 3. A spring v'bracket comprising in one piece a vertical webnor body portion, ia laterally an-d inwardly ext-ending ledge iorining a spring seat, a vertical inwardly :eisten-ding iiangc joined toi-said ledge, a top spring abutment directly under said web, and an inwardly entendi-ng ledge for supportiigan engine traine. Y Y

uhlhe ycombination ot' a chassis frame member having a vertical web and -a front spr-ing b-'acket comprising a vertical web oi' body porti-on secured -to the inner side et the web et said 'iframe member, fan inwardly extending spring seat, and a top `spring abutment ydirectly under said web,

saidl parts -co'i-istr-iicted and arranged to Yreceive the eiifd et a quarter-elliptic spring and penmit the spr/ing to exten-d `outward-l)7 and ilior'ivard'ly beneath the -sai'd frame niember. Y

5. The combination oi a chassis trame member and :a front aXle having -a spr-ing seat, -a spring bracket secured to the inner side of said member, a leaf spring secured at -o'ne fend to said bracket land lat the other 'end to -said spring sca-t, said spi-'ing and scat hziving -infter-tit'ting parts to prevent relative Vdisplacement laterally.

'(3. In combination with a vehicle axle having aspring sea-t, and a multiple leaf spring the lower leaf oi' 'which rests upon said seat; 'interengaging 'elements on said -lo'weiiilea-'l and said spring sea-t for preventing relative displacement of said parts; and

Securing means for holding said lower leaf upon said spring seat and said interengaging elements in engagement with one another, said securing means including a bridge kpiece resting` upon said lower leaf, and having a recess in Which the end of a second leaf of the spring may slide freely.

In testimony whereof Wo hereto a'ix our signatures.

CHARLES R. SHORT. ROSCOE N. HART. lVitnesses R. K. LEE, A. C. LEHMAN. 

